3 Things To Remember When Promoting or Hiring New Managers
Take a trip down memory lane.
This example is a common metaphor for a reason — think about the first time you learned how to ride a bike.
It likely looked something like:
Starting with training wheels
Graduating to two wheels, as your confidence grew
Rocky starts that sometimes required you to slow down to regain balance
You probably even fell a few times.
But you got the hang of it, and before long you could ride long distances with no problem.
Now imagine a different version of this common story.
You never got training wheels
You wobble and fall all the time
You get banged up, cut and scraped all the time
Is it likely you’d still learn how to ride, eventually?
Sure. Except it will probably take longer. And some people might quit under these conditions.
Boon coach, Rumeena Bhalla, found the latter to be a common occurrence among her clients who were recently promoted to management level.
Things need to change so that the former example is the rule, rather than the exception.
There Are Better Ways to Equip New Managers for Success
New managers are often thrust into leadership positions without training, especially at fast-moving startups with inadequate resources for professional development.
It's just “all hands on deck.”
On top of this, newly promoted leaders at all sorts of companies often have to continue juggling what they were doing in their previous roles, even as they transition to their new ones. This can result in a lot of time spent putting out fires in both positions.
In both these cases, and among many other similar examples, new managers aren’t getting the breathing room they need to step into their leadership role gradually.
They never had their time with training wheels.
If you recently promoted or hired a new cohort to management, or you yourself are new to management and need some direction, here are Rumeena’s three tips to mitigate their stress during the transition from associate/specialist to newly minted manager.
Learn to delegate
New managers promoted from within will likely be expected to keep taking the lead on old responsibilities. For a while, it’s reasonable to tie up loose ends and give as much information and guidance to the person assuming their previous role as possible — but encourage them to set a deadline. This will remove other people's expectations of relying on them to do their previous role on top of the new one.
Delegate any other low-level tasks appropriately, so that you can make time for the new or larger projects you need to spearhead.
2. Be fiercely protective of your time.
There will be occasions when new managers are working late or earlier than usual. But again, leaders should be careful to set this expectation. When we’re responding to things late at night, people might expect us to always be responsive at that time.
3. Be realistic with yourself.
A to-do list is just proof of life. If your manager and leaders are busy professionals, they will always have stuff to do. They’ll never get to the bottom of it, and that’s normal. Instead, call it a today list. Advise your managers to layer in weekly goals over long-term, six-month or annual goals — so they can leave room for change and adaptation and protect their motivation.
Your Policies and Practices In This Area Will Have Ripple Effects
The employees you promote to management, or hire to bring order to a troublesome situation or a growth opportunity, are often your top performers. If they aren’t given the space or resources to thrive in their new position, this can quickly lead to a burn-and-churn cycle that affects the rest of your teams.
Following these three simple tips could take you a good way along the path to success, when it comes to empowering new managers. And think about what 30-45 min of 1:1 coaching with experts like Rumeena Bhalla could do for your top performers.
